21 of the most absurd photos of London mayor Boris Johnson

Suzanne Plunkett / REUTERS Boris Johnson, mayor of London since 2008, is a somewhat controversial figure in British politics.

To some he's funny, colorful, and willing to poke fun at himself; to others he's bumbling and sometimes even inappropriate.

"Humor is a utensil that you can use to sugar the pill and to get important points across," Johnson, who's known by many as just Boris or even BoJo, told the Wall Street Journal in 2008. "It has allowed me to get on innumerable platforms."

We've rounded up some of his most memorable goof-ups in photos here — from the time he got stuck on a zip wire to his collision with a 10-year-old schoolboy.

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Johnson blows a vuvuzuela during a visit to Cape Town, South Africa.

Oleg Popov / REUTERS

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Johnson plays ping pong with London students in June 2010. The event was part of a summertime program of free sporting events to encourage Londoners to be more active.

AP Images

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He poses with Arnold Schwarzenegger while riding bikes through London.

Stefan Warmuth / REUTERS

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In 2010, Johnson hops onboard a mock-up for the New Routemaster.

Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP Images

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Johnson dives for the ball during a wheelchair tennis match on International Paralympic Day in 2011. He and his partner, Adam Field, were playing against Prime Minister David Cameron and John Parfitt.

Suzanne Plunkett / REUTERS

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Johnson and Cameron show off their blue hands at a daycare in Surbiton.

Toby Melville / REUTERS

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Johnson gets ready to ride away on his bike after addressing employees at Lloyd's of London in June 2013.

Luke MacGregor / REUTERS

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Here he is in a crane operator's booth in Essex in July 2013.

Suzanne Plunkett / REUTERS

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A supporter plants a kiss on Johnson's cheek in Finchley.

Peter Nicholls / REUTERS

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He jumps for the ball during a rugby training session at Haverstock School in London.

Peter Nicholls / REUTERS

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Johnson poses with a bronze bull statue outside the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai, India, in 2012. He was in India to promote London as a destination for investors and international trade.

Rajanish Kakade / AP Images

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He gets competitive while playing sitting volleyball with British actress Barbara Windsor during the 2012 Paralympic Games.

Suzanne Plunkett / REUTERS

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He's a pretty competitive tennis player, too, even when it's for charity. This match took place at Queen's Club in West London in June 2013.

Eddie Keogh / REUTERS

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Ahead of the London Olympics in 2012, he paid a visit to the Olympic Village to test out the beds. "Olympic Village is swanky," he told the BBC.

To celebrate Great Britain's first gold medal in the 2012 Olympics, Johnson attempted to fly through Virginia Park on a zip wire — but he got stuck halfway and was left dangling over a crowd of people.

YouTube, iconic

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Here he's seen wading through a pond at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew.

Stefan Wermuth / REUTERS

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Johnson and Prince Harry paid a visit to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park ahead of its opening in Stratford in April 2014. The rope bridge made for a tight squeeze.

Luke MacGregor / REUTERS

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At the Conservative Party Conference in September 2014, Johnson held up a brick to make a point about the need to build more homes. "You will not be alone, brick," he said directly to the brick.

In October, Johnson played in a rugby match during an official visit to Japan. During the game, he barreled into 10-year-old Toki Sekiguchi, knocking him to the ground. Sekiguchi told reporters, "I felt a little bit of pain, but it's okay." Johnson told the gathered British and American chambers of commerce in Tokyo, "That is my theme tonight — the possibility that confidence can suddenly and unexpectedly return."